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They are everywhere. In two concentric circles of each tower, in the parking ramps, the marina, in the lobby of Hotel Chicago. You may notice them at first, and then they disappear. The eight-sided columns are still busy bearing loads throughout Marina City.
At the perimeter of each residential unit, the columns – which also connect to the walls between rooms and units – support the weight of the floor above.
Pouring concrete into special fiberglass forms created the columns. The forms were assembled at James McHugh Construction Company’s plant near South Cottage Grove Avenue & East 79th Street, then transported to the site.
(Left) 19th floor of west tower parking ramp at Marina City. Dearborn Street in distance.
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(Left) Load bearing column fashioned to fit lobby decor of Hotel Chicago.
(Right) Column outside main lobby of Marina City’s west tower.
(Click on images to view larger versions.)
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(Left) Likely photographed from a scaffold (note white blur in lower right corner), workers in 1961 pour concrete into a special eight-sided fiberglass form on the east side of Marina City’s east tower. The circular core is in the background at left. In the extreme upper right corner is a brick building on Kinzie Street.
(Right) Seen again in 2013, this is probably the column on which they were working.
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| More images of concrete construction at Marina City in 1961. |
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(Left) Closer view of fiberglass forms. The forms were re-used on higher and higher floors. The numbers on the forms refer to their sequence.
1961 photos by Portland Cement Association. 2013 and 2015 photos by Steven Dahlman.
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